Our Team

Roy has been the General Director of Stauros since 2017. He sits on the Isle of Man Board, the USA Board as well as the UK Board of Trustees. He lives with his wife Pamela at Straidhavern and they have two grown up children …

Roy has been the General Director of Stauros since 2017. He sits on the Isle of Man Board, the USA Board as well as the UK Board of Trustees. He lives with his wife Pamela at Straidhavern and they have two grown up children and three grandchildren.

Roy was converted through the work of Stauros as a resident in Ballyards Castle. His value was soon recognized and he worked as a volunteer for some time before joining the staff team in January 2005. His personal and professional development accelerated while he was manager of Ballyards, during which time he successfully completed his training as a counsellor.

Roy leads the daily running of the organization and is the staff’s first port of call. Roy’s breadth of experience and depth of understanding give him a perspective and a wisdom that Stauros benefits from on a daily basis. Roy has a significant number of people whom he supports in a pastoral way, travelling from place to place or arranging personal appointments at home.

Pamela is married to Roy and lives at Straidhavern. Pamela was converted from a background of alcohol addiction and volunteered for Stauros for some years before joining the staff team in September 1997…

Pamela is married to Roy and lives at Straidhavern. Pamela was converted from a background of alcohol addiction and volunteered for Stauros for some years before joining the staff team in September 1997. She was the first female member of staff to be employed by Stauros.

Pamela oversees the Stauros meeting that takes place on alternate Monday evenings in Stauros Headquarters at Straidhavern.

As a trained counsellor, Pamela also works with Christian Guidelines on a regular voluntary basis, and this compliments her Stauros ministry. The main focus of her Stauros work is among women, and she has a depth of experience and knowledge that makes her very effective in this field.

Her other areas of focus are marriage counselling. It is often pointed out that alcohol and drug addiction affect more than the individual who suffers the condition. Family members also suffer, especially spouses and partners, and their children, and Pamela often works closely with Roy or other members of staff, dealing first with individuals, and then with couples.

Pamela also speaks at women’s meetings, teaching God’s word gently and effectively, reaching into hearts that hurt and lives that are overshadowed by trouble. She is one of the two trainers who deliver the Stauros courses “Tackling Addictions”, “Family Dynamics” and “Relapse prevention.” Pamela sits on both the UK board and the Isle of Man Board, and attends quarterly board meeting’s helping to oversee the work in the UK and Isle of Man.

The work of Stauros in England centres on Paul Murphy. Paul was converted to Christ through the ministry of Lawrence and Iris Hennessey. He served as a volunteer in Stauros before…

The work of Stauros in England centres on Paul Murphy. Paul was converted to Christ through the ministry of Lawrence and Iris Hennessey. He served as a volunteer in Stauros before joining the staff team in 1998. He is married to Lynne and has a grown up family. Paul and Lynne live in Bolton, Lancashire and are members of The Bridge Church in Bolton.

Paul’s work requires him to cover quite an extensive area. He frequently visits individuals around Bolton and its outlying areas such as Horwich, Radcliffe, Smithills and Harwood. He covers Manchester to the south and often travels east to Barnsley and Rotheram. On a wider scale still his contacts take him to north Wales, Leicester and Coventry. The people Paul supports with pastoral care have a wide range of needs including many with substance abuse and addiction issues. His clients sometimes suffer from on-going mental health issues such as depression, and life threatening illnesses such as cancer. When appropriate Paul is accompanied by his wife Lynne, and together they minister into the lives of Stauros people with effectiveness and love.

Part of Paul’s work has led him into a number of prisons where he has the opportunity to offer pastoral support to prisoners. The prisons he visits are Buckley Hall, Garth Prison and Wymott Prison.

Margaret is married to Ricky and has two daughters, Courtney and Lauren. Margaret was converted from a background of drug and alcohol addiction in November 2010 and volunteered for Stauros …

Margaret is married to Ricky and has two daughters, Courtney and Lauren. Margaret was converted from a background of drug and alcohol addiction in November 2010 and volunteered for Stauros for a time before joining the staff team in August 2018. Margaret truly believes that God has given her a passion to help others, the lost and the broken (as she was) without hope.

Margaret is a qualified Counsellor and also volunteers in Christian Guidelines. The main focus of her ministry with Stauros is among women who have a wide range of needs including many with substance abuse and addiction issues. she would come alongside and support these women in the community. Her depth, experience and knowledge make her very effective in this field. Her other area of focus is helping to oversee the Stauros meeting that takes place on alternate Thursdays in the Village cafe which is part of Newtownbreda Baptist Margaret’s home church.

Margaret’s heart would be that the women she would come alongside would be open to the truth of the gospel and they would accept Jesus into their lives and be set free from their live of addiction.

Ricky is married to Margaret and they have two daughters. In January 2013 Ricky made the best decision of his life, and that was to ask Christ into his life as his personal saviour. …

Ricky is married to Margaret and they have two daughters. In January 2013 Ricky made the best decision of his life, and that was to ask Christ into his life as his personal saviour. He would love to say from that day his life was great, but it wasn’t there were issues in his life that he needed to work through from his past and that is where Stauros through meeting with Arthur Williams were able to help him. From meeting with Arthur, he was able to personally benefit from the one-to-one ministry offered by Stauros, this helped him to see the importance of meeting on a one-to-one basis.

Ricky believes the Lord give him a heart for hurting people and came on board as a volunteer for Stauros in December 2017 and later joined the full-time staff in February 2020. The focus of Ricky’s ministry would be to come along side men in the community sharing the love of Christ.

George is married to Valerie and they have two sons and live in Richill, county Armagh. George was originally from Scotland, north of Inverness…

George is married to Valerie and they have two sons and live in Richill, county Armagh. George was originally from Scotland, north of Inverness, and was converted from a background in alcohol addiction. He came to Northern Ireland to spend time with us in Ballyards and later he stayed on as a volunteer. He joined the staff team in May 2002.

The main focus of George’s work is pastoral visitation in the community. This requires him to travel all over Northern Ireland especially the counties of Armagh, Tyrone and Londonderry. He has a heart for people with alcohol issues and regularly shares his own experience of deliverance from alcohol addiction.

George is passionate about sharing God’s word with people and loves discipling new believers. He also has an interest in helping people who have had to face life-threatening illnesses like cancer. He has had personal experience of having to face cancer and, after his recovery, the Lord prompted him to seek further training in reaching people having to cope with this challenge. He successfully completed his course in 2016. This experience brings another dimension to George’s pastoral insight, and one valued by many people. George also enjoys practical work, and oversees the garden maintenance work at Straidhavern.

Woody, originally from Baltimore in Maryland USA, is married to Elaine who is from Belfast, and they have three daughters. They live in Banbridge and attend the local Baptist church there…

Woody, originally from Baltimore in Maryland USA, is married to Elaine who is from Belfast, and they have three daughters. They live in Banbridge and attend the local Baptist church there. After marrying they helped establish Stauros in 1995 in Baltimore. Woody and Elaine moved to Northern Ireland at the invitation of Stauros where he joined the staff team in November 1998.

The main focus of Woody’s work is the word of God. He preaches and teaches on a regular basis and is often invited by churches to talk on the work of Stauros, or other related issues such as a pastoral care. He oversees the Stauros meeting in Banbridge, which meets on alternate Thursday evenings, and where around a dozen people meet for support and prayer. He also speaks at other small groups elsewhere. Woody also teaches a weekly discipleship Bible study on Fridays addressing a range of life issues. These studies are available on YouTube.

His pastoral work takes him all over Northern Ireland but mainly in the counties of Down and Antrim. He reaches out to people with the variety of needs common among Stauros people. There are some with current addiction issues, some facing emotional challenges and some with on going mental health issues. On a regular basis and in a systematic way, Woody shares the word of God with each according to the need they present.

The work of Stauros on the Isle of Man centres on Gordon Buist. Gordon was converted to Christ from a background in alcohol dependence. He served as a volunteer with Stauros Isle of Man…

The work of Stauros on the Isle of Man centres on Gordon Buist. Gordon was converted to Christ from a background in alcohol dependence. He served as a volunteer with Stauros Isle of Man before joining the staff team. He lives in Oncan and attends Living Hope Church, Douglas. Gordon works closely with Griah, which is a Manx word meaning love or charity. Graih is an independent charity but began as a Stauros drop-in, based at The Alpha Centre in Broadway Baptist Church. Griah provides some small rooms for men to receive a hot drink and something to eat and find someone to chat to. Gordon volunteers on a weekly basis to help in this ministry.

Part of Gordon’s ministry also involves running a weekly Stauros meeting in the Alpha Centre. Each Thursday evening between 10 and 15 people get together for their Stauros meeting which Gordon leads and where there is worship, prayer and a talk from scripture. Gordon is also involved in prison visitation where he has the opportunity to offer pastoral support to inmates with whom he has had some contact.

There is a local committee that oversees the Stauros work on the island: the chairman is Kevin Vondy, the treasurer Keith Allen and the other committee members are Vivien Teare and Mona Radcliffe.

Kim volunteered for Stauros for a time before joining the staff team in June 2021. Kim has a 4-year-old daughter named Beth (who keeps her very busy). …

Kim volunteered for Stauros for a time before joining the staff team in June 2021. Kim has a 4-year-old daughter named Beth (who keeps her very busy). Kim was brought up in North Belfast in a none Christian home. Her next-door neighbour got saved when Kim was 7 years old and started taking her to church. Kim heard the gospel through her neighbours and believed. But it wasn’t until she was 15 and someone discipled her that she started to understand and count the cost. Kim has always loved people and has had a desire to help them know Christ as their saviour. Kim has been in full time ministry for 14 years nine with Baptist missions and the last five with East Belfast mission. Kim is already working with a lot of people who currently have addiction issues, she feels the time is right for her to join the staff of Stauros and continue to minister to people with addiction issues. Kim’s home church is Living Hope Belfast and She enjoys going for walks, reading and more importantly drinking coffee. John 4:35 You know the saying, “Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”

Stauros Ministries, USA, centres on John and Peggy Burghauser who live in Baltimore, Maryland. The work developed from the visits carried out over many years by Tom Eakins…

Stauros Ministries, USA, centres on John and Peggy Burghauser who live in Baltimore, Maryland. The work developed from the visits carried out over many years by Tom Eakins, an employee and Trustee of Stauros before his retirement.

John and Peggy work alongside local churches reaching out to their community with the comfort and compassion of God, pointing people to Christ. Like all Stauros workers, their approach is based on the ministry of Jesus. He spent time with individuals, befriending them and their families in the midst of their struggles and sharing the saving grace and freedom of the Gospel.

Part of the ministry John and Peggy has been to help churches raise up disciple makers and mentors within local church congregations. They have two main goals. First, they share what they do and how they do it, and secondly, they offer training courses and workshops. These courses are designed to aid churches “integrate” individuals who need their love and support into their church community.

Justin works for Stauros as a pastoral care worker alongside John Burghauser. In 2001 Justin lived at Ballyards Castle in Northern Ireland after struggling with a heroin addiction. He visited in ’03, ’05, and helped lead the music at the Stauros Conference in ’07…

Justin works for Stauros as a pastoral care worker alongside John Burghauser. In 2001 Justin lived at Ballyards Castle in Northern Ireland after struggling with a heroin addiction. He visited in ’03, ’05, and helped lead the music at the Stauros Conference in ’07.

Justin became a volunteer in 2020, then in 2022 was approved to be a pastoral care worker by the board of directors. He currently lives in Towson, MD with his wife and two children…

Justin says, “I am alive today because there were people who never gave up on me. My family, John Burghauser, and those within Stauros reflected the love of Christ during times of darkness and despair. The Lord worked through them, and so many others, to effect powerful change in my life. Please keep me in your prayers as I endeavour to do the same.”